'Extreme Day' Returns to Calder in South Florida

Calder Race Course in Miami, Fla., will offer its third “Extreme Day” July 28. The card will feature races at extremely long or short distances or with uncommon race conditions.

Here is a profile of the Extreme Day events:

-- The first three races will be contested on the turf course, allowing horseplayers to wager on an all-turf early daily double and pick three. Race one is a maiden special weight at five furlongs while races two and three are two-turn claiming events.

-- In addition, race three will be part of the “World’s Fastest Daily Double.” Both races have a scheduled post time of 1:49 p.m. Eastern. Horses in race three will travel one mile on turf, while the field for race four will simultaneously go six furlongs on the main track.

-- Race five, “The Harrison Half,” will be a race within a race. The “winner” of race five will actually be the leader at the half-mile pole of race six, a conditioned claiming race at one mile on the main track. Calder will offer win and exacta wagering on “race five” and a full wagering menu on race six.

-- Caller One, winner of the 2002 Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-I), will make his 2007 debut in race seven, the $50,000 Rocket Man Stakes at two furlongs. The gelded 10-year-old son of Phone Trick ran in the Rocket Man the last three years, having finished third in 2004, second in 2005, and fifth in 2006.

He will face a stern challenge from the defending champion and aptly named Rain Song, one of two females entered in the 2007 Rocket Man. The 6-year-old mare by Intensity prevailed in the slop in last year’s Rocket Man. Last November, Rain Song captured the two-furlong Fast N’ Furious Stakes during Calder’s second Extreme Day in November. Prior to 2006, the Rocket Man was part of Calder’s “Summit of Speed” card.

Calder will offer a “show quinella” on the Rocket Man. In order to cash, horseplayers will have to select two of the top three finishers. The show quinella will be a $5 minimum wager.

-- The two-mile, $50,000 Turf Marathon Handicap, race nine, will be at the opposite end of the distance spectrum. Golden Strategy, a group II winner in Panama, will make his third start in the United States and will try to carry his speed the full 16 furlongs.

-- Race nine, the $50,000 Methuselah Starter Handicap, is named for the Biblical figure said to have lived to the age of 969. The Methuselah Starter Handicap, a celebration of longevity, is a seven-furlong race for 5-year-olds and up.

-- The King George Wrong Way Starter Stakes, race 10, will be run clockwise on the turf course. The field will break from the gate on the backstretch and will pass the finish line twice in the 1 3/8-mile event.

-- Nine geldings have been entered in race 11, the $50,000 Gray Pride Starter Stakes. Entry is restricted to horses that are grey or roan in color.

Included among the Extreme Day festivities is the Jockey Sprint Race. First post is scheduled for 12:50 p.m. Eastern.